True Love

We have heard the statement, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” If that is true, how much are your actions worth? No, not the job you get paid for, but the actions you take without an expectation of payment.

Our human nature is to look to gain something for doing something for someone else. It may not be a cash amount. We may simply look to have them do something for us later. The reverse is also true, isn’t it. If someone does something for us, we feel indebted to them.

Unfortunately, we also know people who do something for someone to gain the other persons’ love. Sometimes, parents do this, especially if they work many hours during the week. They buy toys or spend large sums of money on elaborate vacations to “make it up” to their kids. Really, they simply want their children to know they love them and want their love in return.

Our actions tell a lot about us. We can see a persons’ beliefs through their actions. Our actions tell others where we stand. They show if we stand for truth. When we serve others, it is evident it is selfless or self-serving service. Our actions let others know if we are a giver or a taker. They show whether we are a protector or a person who needs protecting.

We often write all these indicators off as simply who we are. Yet, we can change them. Oh, it’s not simple. It requires a lot of work. It requires us to stop relying on ourselves and rely on someone far more powerful than us, Jesus Christ. I know, that sounds cliché or flippant. It is not. It is truth. I’ve been there, done that.

You see, when we decide to rely on God, we can overcome who we are and become who He intended us to be. We can rid ourselves of our selfishness and become selfless. We can leave behind being a taker and become a giver. We can stop being a person who needs protecting and become a protector.

How can we be transformed? Through reliance on God. By loving Him with all we are. God loves us and He will provide all we need. We can rely on Him, as we are told in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Jesus says He knows if we love Him or not. He knows by our actions. He knows by whether we keep His commands or not. You see, when we love someone, truly love them, we sacrifice ourselves for them. We do what they want, not what we want.

I pray we all love Jesus with all our heart. I pray we love Him with all our mind. I pray each of us love Him enough to give up ourselves for Him. Love Jesus. Obey His commands. Give yourself up for Him. Give yourself up for others. Trust God to provide all you need.

John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands.”

Seed of Heaven

Have you ever wondered what heaven is like? Do you have an image in your head? Do you envision streets of gold, buildings of crystal, lush vegetation, and a pure river? Does everything appear to be perfect?

Many of us have grown up with visions of what heaven will be like. Some of us have images of people in white robes singing continuously. Others have an image of the Father looking like Father Time sitting on a throne. Perhaps the Son is dressed in royal robes sitting next to the Father.

The image we have depends on the images we have been taught. Some of the images are found in Scripture and some are not. We find different interpretations of what heaven may be like in books written by a wide variety of authors. Unfortunately, no one knows for certain.

Despite not really knowing what heaven looks like, we can know what it will be like. We are given various parables in Scripture by Jesus to provide us with an understanding. Jesus doesn’t really provide a picture. He does provide relationship and organizational information.

As we look at today’s Scripture, we see it relate to how the Kingdom of Heaven will grow. It grows from a seed that has been planted. That seed is Jesus. Through His life, death, and resurrection He became the seed for the Kingdom of Heaven.

It may seem odd to us to equate a person to a seed. Yet, it makes perfect sense in God’s Kingdom. He had to provide a way for us to be saved, a way for the Kingdom to grow. Otherwise, none of us would meet His expectations, we would not be able to hold to His laws. God is perfect and we are not. We needed a Savior that would wipe out our mistakes, our failures to make us appear as perfect before the Father.

I pray we all understand that Jesus is our Savior. I pray we accept Jesus as the King of Heaven. I pray each one of us willingly follow Jesus and accept Him for who He is. Jesus is your perfect Savior. Heaven is growing because of Jesus. Be part of His Kingdom.

Matthew 13:24-26 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.”

Divided Or United

Are you tired of all the bickering? Are you fed up with the arguing back and forth? Have you had your fill of one side demeaning the other side? Do you ask why there are two sides to begin with? What are you doing toward reconciliation?

We’ve heard the politicians hurling hateful language at one another. We’ve seen the news media fueling the fire. In all likelihood, we have stood on one side or the other. We have gotten caught up in the fray.

Unfortunately, we see this same scene within our churches. Oh, it may not be about who is running for office in our country, but it is about one issue or another. We fight to the bitter end because we believe we are in the right. By continuing the arguing and fighting, we are most definitely in the wrong.

Here is the question we must ask ourselves, “Are we furthering the Kingdom of God?” We also must understand that God doesn’t force His Kingdom on anyone. That being case, we cannot and will not win someone over, bringing them into the kingdom, through argument.

So, how do we win them over? We win them for the kingdom through love, compassion, and mercy. We have likely heard the quote from Martin Luther King Jr., “Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” It is very true. We will admit it is true. Then we will do the exact opposite. Why? Are we so dense and blind and deaf that we don’t hear and abide by our own recognition of truth?

When there is division among us, we begin the spiral down that ends in defeat. As the body of Christ, we are to be united in love. Oh, we can disagree on liturgies, but we are to be united in our beliefs. There is only one God, one Son, one Holy Spirit, and one Kingdom.

Much like earthly kingdoms who will fall when they are divided, our churches will fail the Kingdom of God when we are divided. We are to unite under the love of Jesus Christ. We are to be His united body, representing Him in the here and now.

I pray we all determine to unite in love. I pray we strive to attract others into the Kingdom of God through love, compassion, and mercy. I pray each one of us show love to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Shed the hate that binds you. Give up the hate that divides us. Show love to one another. Be compassionate. Show mercy. Work for the Kingdom of God.

Luke 11:17-20 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Withstanding Storms

Do you wonder why you are shaken to the core when something goes bad? Have you taken time to think long and hard about why? If not, when will you evaluate yourself? What is your foundation? Who is your foundation?

I really like Jesus’ use of building a house as a parallel for our lives. Building our lives is much like building a house. If we want to withstand the storms of life, we must have a foundation set on the Rock. Otherwise, those storms will destroy us.

Unfortunately, there are few who have built themselves on the Rock. There are many who have dug down, but never made it all the way to the Rock. They suffer some damage when those storms come, depending on how deep they went with their foundation. There are far more who have built on the surface and they collapse in a heap when those storms come.

Notice Jesus doesn’t say ‘if’ the storm will come, but He says ‘when’ the storm comes. There will be storms in our lives. It may be divorce, loss of a job, death of a loved one, severe injury or sickness, or any number of other storms. There is no doubt we will face storms in our lives. Are we prepared to withstand them, or will we collapse?

We are told how to build ourselves to withstand them. It isn’t a secret that only a few know. It is available to anyone who will seek it. Build your life on the Rock of Jesus. Dig deeper and deeper into His Word. Gain a deeper understanding of God’s ways. Increase your faith. Grow your love for God. Increase your trust in Him.

If you are like me, you started down this path, and went astray for some number of years. Much like me, you can rebuild your life. It is never too late to dig deeper. You can make the choice today to start rebuilding your life.

Here is the wonderful news I’ve found as I’ve rebuilt my life. There are great benefits to digging deep to lay that foundation. Benefits such as finding peace, joy, love, and contentment. The increase of faith and trust in God continues to grow with each experience and the recognition that God is working in your life. I encourage you to start digging today.

I pray we all dig deeper into God’s Word. I pray we seek to build on the foundation of the Rock. I pray each of us grow in our faith and trust in God. Dig deep into God’s Word. Build on the Rock. Grow your faith. Grow your trust in God. Find peace, joy, love, and contentment. Set yourself up to withstand the storms of life.

Luke 6:46-49 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

Fasting For God

What are your thoughts about fasting? Do you think it’s really a bunch of hogwash? Are you sitting there thinking there is nothing to be gained by it? Do you fret having to fast for medical appointments? Have you ever thought God will reward you for fasting?

We have likely seen diets that include fasting. We have heard of fasting from one thing or another during Lent. We probably have even heard of fasting from social media (which is a good idea to do from time-to-time). Yet, when it comes to not eating, most of us are not too keen on the idea.

Let’s address what fasting is. It is abstaining from one thing or another. It can be not eating meat for a period of time. I can be not eating food at all for a set period of time. It can be staying off social media. It can be abstaining from soft drinks. It can be whatever you want to deny yourself.

So, what is this about a reward from God for fasting? What’s the catch? It is really quite simple. The catch is the reason for your fasting. Are you fasting for selfish reasons? Or are you fasting to improve your relationship and dependency on God? The answer to that question determines whether God will reward you for fasting or not.

For instance, if you are fasting as part of a diet simply because you want to lose weight to look good in a swimsuit, don’t count on God providing you a reward. Your reward is the weight loss. If you are fasting and saying you are trying to get closer to God, but you are really doing it for show in front of others, again, don’t count on God rewarding you.

When we fast with the true, deep purpose of growing closer to God, He rewards us. He grows closer to us and we grow closer to Him. This reward isn’t something that happens for just a moment in time. It is a reward that continues to give far into the future. A closer relationship with God provides us with so many benefits, we can’t count them all.

For example, a closer relationship allows us to hear God when He wants to get our attention. We hear His guidance that tells us to say a kind word to the cashier. We hear Him say we are to pay for the coffee of the person in line behind us. We feel His nudge to step out of our comfort zone to bless someone we encounter that appears to be having a hard time. All this can be fruit or blessing or reward from God for fasting with a heart seeking to come closer to Him.

I pray we all fast for the right reason. I pray we seek to improve our relationship with God. I pray each one of us are able to hear God when we He speaks to us in His still, small voice. Fast for God. Fast to grow closer to Him. Reap the reward God has set aside for you. Hear Him when He speaks. Follow His guidance. Trust God.

Matthew 6:16-18 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Pray Appropriately

Have you ever wondered if God is really listening to your prayers? Do you sometimes think that your prayers are going unheard? Have you asked yourself if you are praying “correctly?” Do you think you might be worrying too much about how to pray?

We’ve all seen someone during our lives who has prayed in public and seems to go on forever. We likely have sat in the pew and wondered if he or she was ever going to finish. It gets to be a distraction with our mind wondering all over the place.

Don’t misunderstand me, there are certainly times we should spend more time in prayer than we do. There are times when we find ourselves in such distress that we need a long conversation with God, pouring our hearts out, crying tears of sorrow or frustration or perhaps anger before God. There may be times when we have a big decision before us and we need to spend more time with God, not asking, but listening for His guidance.

But there are also times when prayer should be short and to the point. There are times when we should not babble on and on. There are times when our prayer should be a quick prayer that simply says, “God you already know what I need, and I trust You.”

How do we know when to pray quickly or spend a lengthy time with God? First, public prayers should not be long. Get to the point and move on. Otherwise, you begin to lose the attention of those who are praying with you. You may wonder why that is important. When we pray as a community with all who are present coming together as one, we bring more of the body of Christ together. This brings more power to the prayer.

So, when should we spend a longer time in prayer? When we are alone. When we are wrestling with a tough decision. When we are in distress over a situation. When we are at a loss and longing for God’s guidance. These prayers should include our understanding of the issue we face, the request for God to intervene, and listening for God to respond. It is that last part that often trips us up. We ask God for what we want and let it go at that. We, too often, don’t spend enough time listening for His guidance or His answer to our request.

I pray we all spend time in prayer. I pray we go to a private place to spend quality time with God. I pray each of us will carry on a two-way conversation with God. Spend time in prayer. Spend time with God. Listen for God’s guidance. Trust God to provide the solution. God loves you.

Matthew 6:6-8 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Live At Peace

As we look around us, we can find many things wrong from our viewpoint. As we watch the news, we can quickly get upset at what we see. Our culture has taught us to be very judgmental. Have taken time to simply look back over a single day at your thoughts or what you have said?

We are called to be at peace. So why do we find ourselves in such upheaval? Why is it we find ourselves upset, angry, frustrated, anxious, or confused? Could it be we are worrying more about others than we need to?

Sure, we are to care for others. We are to wish the best for others. We are to support others. Perhaps the actions of others baffle us, but we are not to be upset. Perhaps we see people making bad choices and desire to help them, but we are not to be judgmental of them. Perhaps someone offends us, but we are not to strike back. Perhaps we are hurt by another person, but we are not to hurt them in return.

Why do you suppose Paul is telling the church in Rome to be at peace, to not react negatively in return? First, negative actions are not representative of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Second, being angry at someone else saps us of our positive energy. Third, remaining calm and at peace allows us to think clearly and rational. Finally, it is the peacemaker that is called a child of God (Matthew 5:9).

This is not to say that we must agree with everyone. It is possible to disagree with someone and not be angry. It doesn’t mean we don’t correct someone for clearly doing wrong. We can make corrections without being scornful. We call this education or training.

How are we to go about this? It is an attitude change, a change that doesn’t take place in the snap of our fingers. We must work on choosing our words carefully. We also must work on our tone of voice. Do you know that you can say all the right words and still be ineffective and viewed as wrong? It comes down to the tone you use when you speak.

There will be times when the other person is being completely unreasonable and won’t listen to a calm, reasonable point of view. But that doesn’t relieve us of the responsibility of pursuing peace. It does not give us permission to be angry. We are told to be peace with everyone as far as it depends on us.

I pray we all reflect on our tone and our words. I pray we pursue peace with others. I pray each one of us refuse to allow disagreements to drive us to anger. Pursue peace. Choose your words carefully. Moderate your tone of voice. Seek to understand. Live at peace.

Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Breaking Our Chains

We all find we are shackled by one thing or another. Our chains may be physical, but it is far more likely they are mental, emotional, or spiritual. God has the power to break those chains, regardless of what they are. So, how do we go about convincing God to break them?

Our first step is to recognize we are in shackles. This may sound obvious, but far too many people are chained to their vices, faults, or deficiencies unknowingly. Oh, they may recognize there is a problem, but not really see it for what it is. Perhaps they discard it as simply the way it is and live with it.

Once we recognize our issue, we must be willing to give it up. I’m not talking about something as obvious or simple as deciding to rid ourselves of a bad habit. It goes far deeper than that. We must have the desire to truly change from the inside out. We must be ready to make a drastic change. We must be ready to stop being who we are and ready to be who God wants us to be.

Once we’ve gotten to the point of giving ourselves up, we must ask God to break those chains. We must believe that God can break them. Our faith may be small at first, but it will grow as we see Him work. As our faith increases, we trust Him more, asking Him to remove larger and tighter chains. Ultimately, we find we are free of the shackles, we are liberated, and we feel light as a feather.

I know. Many of you are saying, “You don’t understand. You don’t know my situation.” You’re right, I don’t. Yet, I do know God has the power to free you. I do know that God has the ability to break your chains. Remember, He is the Creator of all things!

It is often our lack of faith that holds us back. It is our desire to continue to wallow in the pigsty that keeps us there. We say we want to change, but we don’t really. It must be a soul-searching exercise. It requires us to get on our knees in tears with a desire we have never had before, reaching out to God with a deep, heartfelt desire to change. It is at that moment that we can ask Him to break the chains that bind us.

I pray we all fall to our knees before God. I pray we turn to God with our entire being. I pray each one of us will ask God to break the chains that bind us, setting us free to follow Him. Empty yourself of yourself. Open your eyes. See the chains that bind you. Ask God to remove your shackles. Be set free, truly free. Trust God. See your faith grow.

Psalm 107:10-11, 13-14

Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,

prisoners suffering in iron chains,

because they rebelled against God’s commands

and despised the plans of the Most High….

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,

and broke away their chains.

Free From The Law

Are there laws you think are silly? Perhaps there are laws you wish you could ignore. Are there laws you disobey? There are some laws that seem to contradict themselves, aren’t there? I’m sure we could pick apart many laws, if we got started on it.

The Jews had laws that were given to them by God. They started with the ten commandments and were added to over the years. The Jewish Rabbi’s then put hedges around those laws in an effort to keep the people from breaking them.

What do I mean by a hedge around a law? An example is the law that they were to rest on the Sabbath. The Rabbi’s defined work as walking more than 100 steps from their home. Now, isn’t that a bit silly? If you are a shepherd, how do you not walk more than 100 steps to talk care of the flock? The Rabbi’s put rules in place to enforce the letter of the law rather than abiding by the spirit of the law. The intent of this particular law was to encourage people to take a day of rest to allow the body and mind to relax and prepare for another week of work.

Have we become like the Rabbi’s? Have we put hedges around the commands of Jesus? The two greatest commands according to Jesus are to love God and love your neighbor. He said all the Law and the Prophets hung on these two commands (Matthew 22:37-40). In other words, Jesus is saying that when we do everything in the spirit of love, we are following the law.

I believe this is also the point Paul is trying to get across in today’s passage. When we are buried in the baptism of Jesus Christ, we die to the law. We rise in love. We are to love as Jesus loved at all times in all situations. It is through our love for God and one another that we are to act, respond, and speak.

Notice that Paul says we must die to bear fruit. Isn’t that the same as happens when we plant fields of grain? The seed goes into the ground, it dies to itself, and grows into the plant that bears fruit. This analogy is used often to represent our lives. We die to our own wants, desires, and preferences in order to grow into the person God intended us to be and bear the fruit He intended us to bear.

I pray we all give up our legalistic points of view. I pray we die to our own wants, desires, and preferences. I pray each one of us live by the two greatest commands. Die to self. Love God with all your heart. Love your neighbor. Live a life free of the law.

Romans 7:4-6 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

Spies Among Us

Have you ever been spied upon? Has someone infiltrated your workplace or your group of friends to gather information for someone else? How did you feel? How do you think you might feel if it happened to you?

I’m sure most of us have watched a movie that involved someone spying on someone else. Usually, it’s the good guys spying on the bad guys so they can rescue somebody or stop a catastrophe or get back stolen information. The typical “save the world” scenario.

The real-world reasons for spies are more nefarious and disruptive. The reasons include identity theft, stealing money, stealing secrets, identifying ways to disrupt someone’s plans, and gathering information to prepare for battle.

Our enemy, Satan and his demons, are no different. Much like God uses people to carry out His plan, Satan uses people to carry out his. He has people infiltrate our fellowship to disrupt our worship of God. Not simply our Sunday worship, but our individual worship on a daily basis. Their goal is to pull us away from God. They see our safety, joy, peace, contentment, freedom in Christ, and they want to take it away.

This tactic is nothing new. We see in today’s passage Paul telling of this happening in the first century. Satan has long been an enemy of God’s and he continues to be to this day. We need to be aware of his schemes and his desire to lure us away.

We have the ultimate protection available to us. Jesus will both protect us from Satan’s schemes and reveal them to us. You might wonder how we can tap into this wonderful protection. We do so through prayer, faith, and listening for the Holy Spirit to speak to us.

Our struggle is not simply against other people. It is also against the forces of evil that pervade this world. These evil forces are often unseen, but the driving force behind the events that trip us up. We are told they even exist in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).

It is a wonderful thought to know that we have God on our side, and He will provide us all we need to overcome evil. Jesus has won the war. He has secured our victory. As we trust Him and hold on to Him, we win the daily battles we face. We will identify those who attempt to infiltrate our tribe of followers and be equipped to remove them.

I pray we all reach out to God in prayer. I pray we ask Him to identify the false believers and spies attempting to infiltrate our ranks. I pray each one of us trusts God as our protector. Spend time in prayer. Listen for the Holy Spirit. Trust God. Trust Jesus.

Galatians 2:4-5 This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.